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Larry Rubenstein

Q: I recently had the left front hub assembly replaced for the fourth time in three years. It is acting up once again after just one week. As soon as I put the car in gear, the "low trac off" and anti-lock brake lights come on after dinging three times. Do you have any idea what might be causing this? Also, the battery light dings three times and then goes off. This only happens after the car has sat for a few hours. It only does this when I have driven about a hundred yards. I just replaced the battery as I was told the battery was only working on 50 percent power. What could the problem be?

A: I would begin by looking for a bad ground in the car. The missing ground would cause the bearing to fail early, because the spinning bearing creates a frequency that causes its pieces to fuse together.

I have to assume the installer of the bearing is using the factory torque specifications on the hub bolt, and not just cranking it down with a half inch gun. As far as the battery light coming on and a warning bell, I would have the charging system checked and look for excess ripple in the alternator pattern.

Q: I have a 1993 Honda Accord with 112,000 miles on it. I've had it for 11’Ñ2 years. Both last summer and this summer, the car won't start intermittently. It happens either when it's hot outside or after driving it a short distance. At first when I try to start it I hear a rush of air blowing through the engine. I sometimes rev the engine when I first start it so it continues to run, because a few times it chugged out and I was unable to start it. By waiting 20-30 minutes I can then start the engine.

I've taken it to my mechanic a few times and it always starts when he's had it a few days. Maybe you've run across this before and can advise me. I'll be very grateful if you can solve this.

A: From the sound of your letter, your idle air control motor is not doing its job. To diagnose this, next time the car won't start, give it just a little bit of gas pedal. If the car now starts, you can be pretty sure that the repair will be a new idle air control motor. If that doesn't help, have a competent technician scan the computer controls while the problem is present.

Car Care Tip: In every owner's manual, there is a list of the proper type of fluids to be used in your vehicle. If you are going to an independent repair facility, you may want to go over the proper fluids to be used in your car.

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Larry Rubenstein is a master technician who owns a North Shore service station. His column appears Tuesday in the Biz North section. Write to Larry at Salem News, c/o Auto Scanner, 32 Dunham Road, Beverly, MA 01915, or send e-mail to scan auto@aol.com.